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Episode 1
Orcbone Has Fallen Guest Stars Taliesin Jaffe as Bandore Mercury Summary The story opens with Rav having departed to tend to family matters. Azure, Lucky, and Tabbris depart a healer's abode in northwestern Breland. The healer directs the party to a tavern called The Flask Half Empty, to meet their retainer John. The three heroes hear the not-so-dulcet tones of an incredibly loud and raucous bard issuing from within the tavern. The source is none other than Bandore Mercury, a leather and spike clad half-elf. A chaotic barfight ensues within minutes that spills out into the streets; more specifically, Bandore Mercury spills out into the streets and meets the party, briefly, before charging back in for more. The party follows, getting into a tavern brawl before finally hearing the blaring horns of the city watch, at which point they dart out into the night. To the surprise of the party, the horns had nothing to do with the bar fight, as they learn when they encounter a group of goblin raiders mounted on wolves tearing through the town. Through a combination of Tabbris's sharpshooting, Azure's wit, Lucky's brute strength, and a dose of musical mayhem from Bandore, the party emerges victorious over the goblin riders and their shamanic leader. The party manages to take one goblin captive and, thanks to the animal insight of Tabbris, they manage to conclude the encounter with some new lupine friends. The party proceeds to relocate back inside the tavern and interrogate the captive goblin, learning that the goblins have been ransacking farms and stealing horses. The goblin, whose name is Geelie, indicates that they were a mercenary band hired by Droaam's army, and also indicates these raids have been in response to provocation by "your kind," likely meaning the various humanoid races of Breland. At the moment the party gets the goblin to start talking, a nobleman comes through the door, haughtily ordering everyone around and demanding he must secure the goblin captive to interrogate him about the activity of the orcs at Orcbone. The nobleman turns out to be Lord Veirner Ir'Tajar of Orcbone, a Brelish fort near Breland's western border with Droaam. Lord Veirner is impatient and irritated, indicating that Orcbone was raided and occupied by orcs, and believes the goblin will have information about the raid. Lord Veirner and the party team up to interrogate the goblin, learning that Bronwarck, an infamous orcish raider in command of a large group of orcs, led the raid on Orcbone. Lord Veirner, exasperated, indicates that he already knew that, but needs to know how. The goblin says the raid was launched through the fort's sewers. Again, Lord Veirner already knew this, but does not believe that, while goblins could crawl through the fort's tight sewer tunnels, orcs would be able to fit. At the conclusion of the interrogation, Lord Veirner convinces the party to figure out how the orcs managed to breech the fort through a subterranean route, so that any hostages inside can be rescued and Lord Veirner can take back the fort. The party is given three days to solve the mystery of the orcs' ingress into Orcbone, after which they are to meet with Lord Veirner to show him the way in. The party manages to secure Geelie a job mopping the floor of The Flask Half Empty, then sets out west the next morning to Orcbone. After traveling the terrain of northwestern Breland, the party finds Fort Orcbone near the southern shores of Silver Lake. Putting his architectural smarts to use, Lucky discovers the fort's sewage outflow into a stream that winds north, toward the lake. After a most unpleasant search of the fort's sewage system and the discovery of what can only be described as a fecal lake some hundred yards from the fort, Lucky forces the issue of the party going deeper into the sewage with a couple of friendly shoves. Amidst the disgusting muck, the party finds a large enough sewer pipe for medium-sized humanoids to move through. They are able to sneak right up to the stonework of the fort itself and, following a smelly search, the party discovers a roughly orc-sized hole leading into the fort. The hole leads to a room with a trick sconce that opens a secret door leading to stairs descending down into the dark. Rather than leave to meet with Lord Veirner, the party (of course!) decides to explore and see what they can learn about the fort and its occupiers, but not before Rav returns from his familial matters and catches up to the rest of the group. The party moves deeper into the fort, encountering orcs. After sneaking through a few passages and observing orcs involved in activities ranging from poetry recital to brawling, a brutal melee ensues. Outnumbered and outmuscled, Bandore Mercury sees an opportunity before him, and makes the ultimate power-move, head-butting and wooing a female orc who appears to be one of the leaders of the group occupying the fort. The orcish leader proceeds to order down the other orcs. She goes on to inform Bandore that she is rather bored of the Orcbone occupation, and assures him and the party that she will empty the fort in the morning, following a raucous party, with blaring music supplied by none other than the Minstrel of Mayhem himself, Bandore Mercury. Links Episode 2